Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report Delves Into Poorer Patient Outcomes At Private Equity-Owned Hospitals
Modern Healthcare: Private Equity Ownership Report Aims To Hold Buyers Accountable
Lifepoint Health and ScionHealth's ownership by Apollo Global Management is the focus of a report by a nonprofit formed to hold private equity buyers accountable for the impact their acquisitions have on services and communities. The report released last week by the watchdog organization Private Equity Stakeholder Project, which criticized the systems' performance and Apollo, follows a recent academic study published in JAMA that raised concerns about higher rates of adverse patient safety events at private equity facilities. (Devereaux, 1/16)
Reuters: NJ Hospital, Investors To Pay More Than $30 Mln To Settle Medicare Fraud Claims
A New Jersey long-term care hospital and some of its investors have agreed to pay more than $30 million to settle claims that the hospital fraudulently overbilled Medicare, with investors pocketing the extra funds, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Silver Lake Hospital in Newark will pay the government $18.6 million, plus interest, while the investors will pay $12 million, plus interest, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger. The investors' share will come from Silver Lake's principal investor, Richard Lipsky, and from Columbus Management South, an entity through which other investors received cash from the hospital. (Pierson, 1/16)
Bloomberg: Davos 2024: Bill Gates Says Global Health Spending Key To Halting Climate Change
Bill Gates believes a key way to combat climate change is improving access to health care in developing countries, an area the billionaire philanthropist worries that governments are neglecting. “Global health is a little bit off the radar right now,” he said on Tuesday in an interview at the Bloomberg House in Davos. “For the next ten years, where money is going to be so limited, if you want to care about climate impact, the health spending should go up, not down.” (Lacqua and Bergen, 1/16)
In news about health care workers —
Modern Healthcare: Marshfield Clinic Furloughs Hit 3% Of Workforce
Marshfield Clinic Health System said Tuesday it plans to furlough about 3% of its workforce. A spokesperson for the Marshfield, Wisconsin-based health system said in a statement the furloughs will occur mostly in non-patient-facing departments, including leadership roles. The spokesperson did not provide details on when the furloughs would take effect or how long they would last. (Hudson, 1/16)
Modern Healthcare: Allina Health Doctors Win Union Certification
The National Labor Relations Board has certified the union election of more than 130 Allina Health doctors, following its nearly yearlong investigation into objections raised by the health system. Although physicians at Mercy Hospital and its Unity campus in Fridley and Coon Rapids, Minnesota, voted to join Doctors Council SEIU in March 2023 by a margin of 2-to-1, the election was not certified until Jan. 10. (Devereaux, 1/16)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Roseman University Announces Plans To Add Medical School To Summerlin Campus
Roseman University is looking to expand and bring a medical degree program to Summerlin. The university on Tuesday unveiled a $500-$550 million three-phase plan to expand its campus in Summerlin from a few office buildings to a full-fledged medical school campus. The expansion will take place on the 32 acres of undeveloped land that Roseman University already owns. It could be completed by 2032, the university said. (Hemmersmeier, 1/16)
Becker's Hospital Review: Henry Ford Health System Files Lawsuit Over Work Visa Rejections
Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for denying two of its Canadian radiologic technologist employees U.S. work visas, according to a lawsuit obtained by Becker's. Tibor Hric, a Canadian citizen named in the lawsuit, has been with Henry Ford since 2009. ... "Their absence has created critical staffing issues that have negatively impacted Plaintiff's ability to deliver patient care," the lawsuit said. (Ashley, 1/16)
